Each year, at the direction of the WVU Office of the Provost on the Morgantown campus, the Academic Advising Council selects honorees for the Nicholas Evans Awards for Advising Excellence. This award is given in recognition of outstanding advising and mentoring provided by faculty and professional advisors within the WVU system. These awards are in honor of Nicholas Evans, a lifelong proponent and exemplar of undergraduate advising at WVU.
Andrea Schafer, assistant professor of education at WVU Potomac State College, was chosen as one of this year’s award recipients. Andrea began her career at PSC in 2014 and has served in various roles, including first-year seminar coordinator, education unit coordinator, and co-chair and campus coordinator of the Mineral County STEM Network’s Annual STEM Festival.
Andrea takes an integrated approach to advising. She focuses on whole-student development and directs them to the best resources to facilitate their success. She provides extraordinary service and mentoring to her assigned advisees and first-year seminar students with her “advising is teaching” philosophy. Through her proactive advising efforts, she has developed strong relationships with students who are new to the college experience and need the most support and guidance, including many first-generation college students.
Andrea is a graduate of PSC, earning an Associate of Arts Degree in Elementary Education. She continued her education on the Morgantown campus, completing a Bachelor Degree and Master Degree in Education.
While a student in Morgantown, Andrea received the WVU Order of Augusta, WVU’s most prestigious student honor. In 2019, Andrea received the PSC Professor of the Year award.